Tag: positivemindset

The connection between life-long learning attitude and holistic wellbeing

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you ever met older people that are active, enthusiastic and look much younger than their age? On the contrary, have you met younger people with a fixed mindset that seem older than their age? Ever wondered why?

According to science, when you keep your brain active and stimulated with new knowledge, you are helping it build new cells and rejuvenate old ones; you are literally keeping it young and healthy by challenging it into new learning experiences. Neuroplasticity (aka brain plasticity) is the scientific term that refers to this ability of the brain to modify and adapt in response to changes in the environment. When we enrich our brain with new information, we create new connections between its neurons and effectively enhance its cells. New information can be anything from sensory, emotional, movement oriented, intellectual. Learning enhances your memory, increases the power of neural circuits and can even form new brain cells. On the contrary however, when you stop learning and simply compromise to a life of habitual survival, that will cause areas of your brain to start shrinking. This happens because, when the brain detects which neural connections are not used frequently, shuts them down to avoid wasting energy on them, while it will divert all energy to maintaining and reinforcing only connections that are actively used. So if you don’t use it, you will literally lose it!

The human brain is a dynamic, intelligent and adaptive organ with power to rebuild and adapt. Thoughts and emotions are either negative or positive energy within us which can either create either blockages and restrictions or bridges and platforms. The choice is ours and neuroplasticity enables us to adapt, respond and evolve our brains to the changes around us. Do you want to form millions of new connections that will lead you to a new enhanced better version of yourself? Then refresh your experiences, keep moving, keep learning, keep changing, keep adapting to new environment and, generally, commit to life-long learning! This powerful self care attitude will keep you healthy not only physically but also mentally and emotionally!

You are literally rewriting and rewiring your brain every single day! Think purposefully, move purposefully, live purposefully!

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How to keep your energy levels high and your immune system strong

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

As Nikola Tesla said, “everything in the universe is energy and vibration”. And those who are practicing energy healing, holistic therapies, yoga, meditation, dance and martial arts, have experienced it first hand.

All the above practices help us keep our energy levels and vibes high by unblocking our energy centres (chakras), releasing negative emotions and rebalancing our electromagnetic system (aura). Apart from these powerful healing practices, there are of course other ways that we can also keep our energy and vibes high. Anything positive really that raises our mood, it raises our energy levels and our system vibrates higher. And why is this so important? Because at this state, our immune system is very strong and can fight off both physical and mental illnesses. There has been cases of people healing themselves from terminal illnesses such as cancer because they made the conscious decision to keep their mood and energy high. Therefore they manifested health, they boosted their system to heal itself and get back to harmony.

On the contrary, having a low and negative mood, will lower the energy and vibes and can generally cause the immune system to lower and become susceptible to illnesses. On the long term, when a person tends to be negative, angry or toxic, this can even lead to serious illness such as autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis or even cancer. Fear, anger and stress are literally lethal for our lives and this is unfortunately what is happening with all the negative news we are being bombarded with. Being in a constant state of fear, terror, uncertainty and anxiety will break us down little by little. 

Taking action is vital and a personal responsibility. Just know that you are not alone and that you have the power inside you! The human body and mind are sacred and amazing systems that have the potential to do great. And when we unite in positive ways, we amplify our energy and power!

Tips and practices to keep your energy and vibes high:

  • Practice gratitude
  • Practice positive thinking and having a positive mindset
  • Practice positive affirmations
  • Exercise
  • Spend time in nature
  • Spend time with pets and animals
  • Connect with others in a positive way
  • Read books 
  • Watch positive news, videos
  • Listen to your favourite uplifting music
  • Dance
  • Receive energy healing and holistic therapies
  • Practice yoga
  • Meditate
  • Practice martial arts

Please note: if you suspect or know you have mental health issues, please seek professional help and you can choose a professional therapist that suits you and a therapy that you feel is working for you! There is no shame in asking for help.


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How to manifest new years resolutions into reality with effective results

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

At the beginning of every year, most people are enthusiastic and setting their intentions with a list of new years resolutions, most common ones being related to fitness and diet. But somehow, this enthusiasm fades away and the resolutions are abandoned by mid-February. Why is this happening and how can we change it to achieve our goals and get the results we are dreaming of?

The quick answer to this is that we need to make the necessary changes in our lives. Although the first step is to write down our resolutions, this doesn’t mean our goals will automatically manifest into reality if we don’t work towards them. Real change starts from within and self-responsibility is essential. In brief, we need to change our mindset, our habits, and be consistent with our efforts and work towards our goals. Changing our mindset is number one on the list of success. The real catalyst to making effective changes in life is acquiring a growth mindset as opposed to the limited mindset that keep us in a circle of procrastination and self-pity. Once we acquire this, we have a powerful tool to achieve anything we put our mind into.

Growth mindset vs limited mindset

Growth mindset looks like this:

  • Learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge.
  • I can achieve anything I want.
  • There are no failures, only learning experiences.
  • When one way is not working, find another way.
  • Difficulties are catalysts that challenge us to help us grow.
  • Giving up is not an option, reset, pivot and keep trying is the only option.
  • Feedback is constructive and helps me grow and improve.
  • A positive attitude and constant effort determine the result.

The opposite of this is the limited mindset which is based on limiting beliefs, having a victim-mentality and blaming external factors for our failures. It basically looks like this:

  • I don’t have time or want to learn new skills, I want fast and effortless results.
  • I can either be excellent in something or not good at all.
  • My abilities are predetermined by my genes, my age, my race, my size, my education.
  • Failure proves to me that I am not good at something and I should give up.
  • Feedback is criticism and feels uncomfortable.
  • I don’t like getting out of my comfort zone.

How to acquire a growth mindset

Acquiring a growth mindset is a totally new skill on its own and it can be applied to anything you want to achieve. The first step to having a growth mindset is to have the will and enthusiasm to change. And afterwards working with different techniques such as:

  • visualisation,
  • positive affirmations,
  • reading positive news/information,
  • following motivational speakers or social media pages,
  • being surrounded by positive and encouraging people.

However, for more integrated and long-lasting results, having a life coach is essential to guide you to make the changes you desire. Life coaching can help one discover their inner power and inspire them to new ways of attracting the life they want.

Photo credit by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels

9 good habits for dealing with stress

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

We are going through a challenging period that forces us to face unpredictable situations beyond our control. It is normal to be stressed and anxious. However, there are many things that we can control and, if we focus on them, we can lift our mood and energy levels. So be careful to stick to the good ones that lift your mood! It is in your hand, you can do it!

First of all, let’s explore some common bad habits that deplete our energy levels and drop our mood. We have all done them and it is very tempting to keep doing them:

  • Overthinking and constant worrying: they take us nowhere while they deprive us of peace and joy from the present moment.
  • Inconsistent sleeping patterns: they cause imbalance to our nervous system which can lead to depression.
  • Eating junk and processed food: we may temporarily think that they relieve us of stress (comfort food) but all the toxins they they contain are actually increasing it.
  • Frequent/excess consumption of alcohol or substances: although we temporarily feel better, once their effect wears off we feel even worse. Furthermore, their harmful toxins deplete our body at all levels.
  • Negative people: they drain our energy and drop our mood.
  • Watching negative news: they bring us despair and anxiety.
  • Social media: their excessive use absorbs us and we end up wasting a lot of time. Furthermore, many times we are tempted to read negative posts or even get involved in debates and arguments with people we don’t even know.

The first step is to acknowledge the bad habits, realise that we fall for them and break the cycle. The second step is to replace them with good ones. Here is a suggested list with good habits that will help you deal with stress as they lift your mood and increase your energy levels:

  • Drink plenty of water!
  • Eat a balanced healthy and nutritious diet!
  • Schedule your bedtime routine: try to go to bed early so you can wake up early.
  • Enjoy time with animals: they give us love and we need it!
  • Spend time in nature: walk in a park, beach, forest, whatever you have available near you. Nature has healing properties; she absorbs our negative energy and fills us with positive!
  • Exercise, dance, yoga: movement generally increases our endorphins, the hormones of happiness!
  • Switch off from everything and listen to your favourite music. Create a space where you won’t be disturbed and dedicate this time to yourself.
  • Connect and communicate with others, especially positive people. Isolation fills us with despair while feeling part of a group/community gives us meaning and motivation.
  • Watch positive news, inspiring podcasts, positive articles, self-help books: feed your mind with positivity!

Photo by Public Domain Pictures from Pexels

Walking meditation

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have you heard of walking meditation?

Walking meditation is a form of moving meditation. Precisely, it is a mindful walking practice that has its origins in Buddhism and can be used as part of a mindfulness practice that involves movement and periods of walking between long periods of sitting meditation.

It can be practiced regularly, before or after sitting meditation or at any time, such as during a lunchbreak, after a busy day at work or on a Sunday morning in the park. In walking meditation the experience of walking is used as the focus. Traditionally, there are several different kinds of walking meditation, such as kinhin, theravada and vipassana, if someone wants to get more into the practice.

Walking meditation is more than a simple stroll in the park as it is usually done in a much slower pace than a normal walk and it usually involves coordination of the steps with the breathing. Techniques can be as detailed as breaking down each step into 2,4 or 6 parts. The general aim, as in any mindfulness exercise, is to keep the mind in the present moment.

Walking meditation can make a difference especially for people who are doing seated work for long hours or those who spend extended periods of time for daily commuting. Some of the benefits are:

  • Boosts blood flow and raises the energy levels as the walking practice helps to get the blood flowing, especially to the legs.
  • Improves digestion (especially after a meal)
  • Reduces anxiety and depression as it is a form of gentle exercise which releases endorphines, the happy hormones
  • Improves sleep quality
  • Increases clarity and focus which in turn can stimulate creativity.

The pace of walking meditation ranges from slow to extremely slow. You can let your hands and arms swing loosely by your sides, hold them behind your back or clasp them in front of your body around the height of your navel. Your gaze should be looking towards the ground just a few feet in front of you.

You can start by choosing a path or setting a time that you won’t be disturbed or you will have to rush. Once you decide the route, you can stat by observing your body and how it moves, then setting a slow walking pace. Afterwards, you can focus on your breath and synchronise your steps with the inhalation and exhlation. For example, you inhale and perform two steps, you exhale and perform another two steps. Gradually, you slow down your breath and inhale while performing for four steps, then exhale for four steps. Later on, you increase to six steps during inhalation and another equal six steps for the exhalation. The more often you practice, the more mindful you will become and you will start noticing the benefits of this wonderful yet simple mindfulness exercise.

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The healing power of positive words

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Did you know that words have power? Did you know that when we speak we create vibrations?

Photo by Anthony from Pexels

Positive words create beautiful vibrations and negative words create destructive vibrations. When we speak and use positive words, we create positive energy. However, when we speak badly or swear, we create destructive energy. Imagine how much power we create everyday depending on how we speak!

Have you heard of the water experiments? Japanese alternative medicine doctor Masaru Emoto created experiments with water and discovered that words emit specific frequency that the water can sense. When positive words were spoken, beautiful geometric crystals were formed in the water. However, when degrading or negative words were spoken, then broken and deformed crystals were formed. Dr Emoto concluded that, since we are 70% made of water, positive words create beautiful energy both in our body and to others around us. On the contrary, when we speak with negative words or swearing, negative energy is created, firstly inside our body and consequently to everyone around us. Therefore, we create as we speak and we have both the choice and the power to make beautiful and/or ugly energy.

Speaking with positive words has several impacts, like a ripple on the surface of water. Firstly, the vibrations that are created inside our body can either heal us or make us ill. This is how affirmations work; saying positive affirmations daily can truly change our lives drastically. Secondly, how we speak has an effect on others, not only to humans but also to animals and plants. Energetically, we are all connected and we have a responsibility to what effect we create to our environment.

Some positive affirmation that we can say loudly to ourselves on a daily basis are:

  • I AM HEALTHY!
  • I AM POWERFUL!
  • I AM SAFE!
  • I AM LOVED!
  • I AM GRATEFUL!

We have the power and we can create beautiful things! Let’s be more mindful with our words! Let’s create beauty inside and around us!

The simple things in life are the most important

Posted on by Fiora Touliatou

Article by Fiora Touliatou

Have we learnt yet to be grateful for what we have? To make the most of every single day? To be happy with simple things? To be grateful for our health? For being alive?

Photo by Matheus Viana from Pexels

Everything in life happens for a reason. After every disaster there are new beginnings, new life, new ways of living. Nature always has a way and as we are part of it, we find a way to get through and manage. This period of the global pandemic and lockdown has undoubtably changed our lives in every aspect. Everything we had taken for granted was suddenly threatened.

We were forced to stop, we were forced to realise that we need to find new ways of living our life, new ways of existing. Precisely, we were simply forced to stop and appreciate everything around us. Appreciate our life, our existence, our health. Appreciate our family, our friends, our neighbours, our community, our networks. Appreciate the planet we live on; we are part of it. The planet can live without us but we cannot live without it.

We had to realise how important it is to reach out to others, to care, to ask for help or offer help, to create new ways to support or be supported. Suddenly, the definition of wealthy changed to being alive, being healthy, being happy, being loved, being supported, being appreciated.

The most important is that we had to learn (or remind ourselves) about solidarity between people, being a nice human being. Because this is the real health and happiness, when we are nice we shine from inside, we are all connected, we are all one.

Let’s hope that humanity will remember this once we get back to what we consider normal.